Aah, again that bloody school festival episode. It’s a good thing that this episode was good, because it gets harder and harder to do something interesting with them the more they get used. I know that they must be a very large part of Japanese culture and all, but when every show and its dog pulls one it gets a bit annoying.

What saved this episode was that it had a point. At this point, the school festival episodes that immediately bore me are the ones who are just there to fill time. The school festival as climax of the series also is starting to get very repetitive. This episode though pulled an interesting turn when they revealed that Madoka was getting jealous of Ran and Muginami making other friends. And unlike Black Rock Shooter, she knew that these feelings didn’t make any sense, making these feelings very genuine.

Also, this episode convinced me again: the villains of this series are really good. It’s hard to label them as the best of the season because that would mean comparing them to Another’s villain, who is fleshed out in the complete opposite manner, but what I really liked in this episode was that they really had their doubts about fighting. In any case they are the most down to earth villains of the season.

Another criticism I have about this episode is that I wonder what the point was of not having Madoka pilot. It’s indeed as I feared: the enemy arrives and she immediately ignores her resolution for not piloting Midori. Then what was the point of all that? That will be a tough question that the next episode will have to answer.Rating: ** (Excellent)

6 Responses

Given her impulsiveness, I never expected that resolution to last. And honestly, I think she agreed to it more to get her friends out of trouble than from any personal conviction that it was the “right thing” to do. She wanted to keep her promise once she’d made it, but given her character, once her friends were in danger…fuggit about it. And given the time she’s spent with Madoka, it’ll be interesting to see what Blondie’s (can’t recall her name right off hand) reaction is. Will she genuinely do everything she can to stop her, or will she have doubts about her decision and back down?

Another criticism I have about this episode is that I wonder what the point was of not having Madoka pilot.

Um….well, let’s see. According to ancient legend, the last time the Vox was used, the Rinne got activated and an advanced ancient human civilization was almost wiped out. It caused survivors of that civilization to flee the planet for survival and turn Earth into a no-fly zone, a rule that has held up for thousands of years. The horror of that story has been passed down for um..thousands of years in song and has had Lan in terror for so long, she couldn’t pilot her Vox properly til Madoka showed up to encourage her. And the last time Madoka piloted Midori, she almost activated the Rinne again, although it looks like Lan managed to interrupt her before she could finish. Now, of course, we the audience don’t know for sure what the Rinne will actually do once activated. It looks really pretty and all, but with the fate of humanity at stake, would you want to risk it? Especially in the frame of mind Madoka was in when she actually activated it?

Chances are Lan’s big bro wants the Vox as a weapon in their war effort while Gio wants to destroy the Vox so it can’t be used to cause another tragedy anymore, like what happened with Yurikano when she last piloted it. (or so it has been implied.)

It was always expected that she’ll wind up piloting Midori again. It’s just that what was at stake needed to be fleshed out, along with the motivations of the various sides to this conflict. I think this so-called filler episode also helped establish that both Ran and Mugi had built ties to the local community, not just with Madoka herself, which would help them stand against their respective sides if they became a threat to that community.

I also liked the additional character development for the little blonde director. I don’t think she intended to keep Madoka grounded for good. I suspect she’s trying to prepare her to pilot Midori without activating the Rinne carelessly and risking that great calamity. Who wants to bet that she might be a 20,000+ year old former Vox pilot herself?

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Bam

(Wednesday, Mar 4. 2015 12:44 AM)

@Ebod: while it would definitely be ideal if a Japanese actress like Yukie Nakama or Keiko Kitagawa played the role of major Kusanagi, Hollywood practices make it very improbable. So the options left are either Asian actresses that are known in Hollywood such as Rinko Kikuchi, or American actresses of Asain decent like Natalie Mendoza or Grace Huang.

Ebod

(Tuesday, Mar 3. 2015 08:22 PM)

V for Vendetta for me has always been a more “literary” work than Watchmen, but Watchmen is spectacular because it’s a story that can only be told in full scope in the comic format. While I feel like many major themes and events from V for Vendetta could easily be adapted into, say, novel format, the same could not be said of Watchmen.
Also, the racist whitewashing Hollywood does of Asian characters really has to stop.

Bam

(Tuesday, Mar 3. 2015 06:30 AM)

Watchmen was deemed ‘unadaptable’ for about thirty years, so just getting what Snyder got out of the material is a huge success; it is said that what he did was to write a book version of Ingmar’s Holy Mountain. Watchmen is the only graphic novel to ever win a Hugo award and is easily the most intricate and multilayered Alan Moore comic, so it’s no surprise that it continues to top ‘best comics of all time’ charts to this day.

Bam

(Tuesday, Mar 3. 2015 06:20 AM)

I beg to differ. Doctor Manhatten is the most intriguing character of Watchmen and the comic is a giant in ,not only in the comic world, but the history of literature itself. It is a deconstruction of superheros and Dr. M shows how afraid the world would really be when faced with a ‘superman’ and how a creature in such a higher realm of time and perception would show apathy toward humans and their foolish struggles.

Bam

(Tuesday, Mar 3. 2015 06:15 AM)

GitS just won’t work. Maybe in a world before the Matrix, but not now with so many elements of it borrowed liberally by so many franchises in various mediums. Scarlet Johansson is decent in roles that fit her. She was enjoyable in Lost In Translation, but race aside she has nothing in common with Kusanagi. This is a travesty and the franchise is dear to me so it especially burns my ass.

Emma

(Tuesday, Mar 3. 2015 06:10 AM)

While I am no fan of man of steel, Nolan and Snyder, just about anyone would have a hard time taking a difficult character like superman and making him work on screen.

Emma

(Tuesday, Mar 3. 2015 06:08 AM)

Apart from Veidt and Rorshach I could never get into the characters all that much in watchmen. I also found the film overly long and mediocre acted for the larger part. But to each there own. For Alan moores works I always preferred his Miracleman, swamp thing, V for Vendetta stories.

Bam

(Tuesday, Mar 3. 2015 06:06 AM)

Nolan can produce the action plus personal and dark story that Alita would need, and he also brings talent such as composer Hans Zimmer and Cinematographer Sally Pfister to the table. Him and Snyder have too much combined integrity to make a mockery out of Alita like Spielberg did with the GitS license.

Bam

(Tuesday, Mar 3. 2015 06:03 AM)

Well Snyder has respect for his source materials and that is key in anime-to-film adaptations. Hell I’m a big Watchmen fan and I thought his version was (almost painfully) close to the comic. You’re not going to get that anywhere else in Hollywood. Also the combination of Nolan/Snyder is quite different than them individually.

Emma

(Tuesday, Mar 3. 2015 05:34 AM)

And directed it as a co-production with America, using a Japanese cast.
Yeah…this is impossible…

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